Toasted Corn, Cherry Tomato and Edamame Salad

This is a featured recipe on Fine Cooking's Recipe Page this month. The salad of Toasted Corn, Cherry Tomatoes and Edamame is part vegetable side dish/part relish, perfect for grilled fish or chicken and perfect for this time of year. It has a nice mix of textures and flavors. There's a little basil and mint chiffonade on top too.

Braised Kale

Now bear with me here, because this post is about kale. Not the stuff used to line salad bars, (however I do think that's edible too) and not the pretty purply stuff that you put in your outdoor pots in the fall. But good eatin' kale, like Cavolo Nero, a delicious Tuscan variety. It is also sometimes called dinosaur kale. I guess because its leaves are bumpy like dinosaur skin might be (?). It is easy to find in most supermarkets now.

This is some really tasty stuff, not strong tasting like mustard or collard greens. It makes a hearty and warming side dish for this time of year and you can't beat it in terms of health-giving nutrients.

The braising isn't a long process because this isn't terribly tough. And you can taste it along the way until it is tender to your liking. Below is a great recipe to start with if you haven't tried kale before. There is lots of supporting flavor of garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and a splash of balsamic at the end to give it a little zing. I frequently leave off the goat cheese if it doesn't go with the other things on the plate. But I could easily see this plated on top of creamy polenta and topped with the goat cheese for a fab vegetarian meal. Especially with some marinara sauce pooled around, yum! This day I served with a small piece of swordfish (done mediterranean-style with herbs and lemon) and half a roasted acorn squash. But the kale was the star of the show.

Garlicky Braised Kale with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

by Susie Middleton

To learn more, read the article:Hearty Greens Can Chase Away the Winter Blues

Braising softens kale, which will be a little tough and leathery if undercooked. Unfortunately, kale also loses its bright green color when properly cooked. As a variation, try using the pretty new variety of kale called cavolo nero, or Tuscan kale, in this recipe. Or use young turnip greens. You can also vary this recipe by sautéing onions or bacon with the garlic, or by adding red pepper flakes.Serves two as a side dish.
ingredients

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, cut in half, smashed, and peeled

2 Tbs. finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, well drained

7 oz. stemmed kale leaves (from about 1/2 large bunch kale), washed and cut into 1-inch ribbons

1/2 tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup low-salt chicken stock (canned is fine, but don't use low-fat)

1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 oz. crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or a 3- to 4-qt. soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring, until starting to brown, 2 to 3 min. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the kale, tossing to coat it well with the oil. Season with the salt and a few grinds of pepper, and continue stirring until all the kale is wilted. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the kale has softened, about 8 min. Uncover, turn the heat to high, and boil away the remaining liquid, stirring frequently, until the pan is almost dry. Take the pan off the heat. Season with the vinegar and stir to combine. Transfer to a small serving dish or plates. Top with the crumbled goat cheese, if you like.

From Fine Cooking 42, pp. 46-50

December 1, 2000

Zucchini Gratin

Speaking of eating of the season, now's about the time people start giving away cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini because they have too many to use. So here is a great recipe for your abundance of garden vegetables. It is a zucchini gratin that uses sweet caramelized onions on the bottom and a layering of summer squashes,tomatoes and parmesan cheese. It takes a bit of time to put together (mostly just slicing vegetables and caramelizing the onions) but is well worth the effort. I've made it a couple times recently. The first time I made it, I just printed the recipe with no pictures and skimmed over the instructions. I layered each vegetable one on top of the other with a sprinkling of parmesan in between (in the picture above.) It turned out really good and we devoured it. I thought I'd delve into the original gratin article and look at the other recipes it offered. When I pulled out the magazine, the pictures showed me that I was supposed to stagger the vegetables into lovely layers (as you can see in the picture below.) While this does make for a gorgeous presentation, (and a fun activity) it really doesn't really change the flavor in the cooked gratin. The end result is somewhat like pizza meets ratatouille and is very savory and satisfying.

You really need a shallow (1-inch deep) baking dish for the recipe, or you could probably use a shallow glass or ceramic pie pan, not a deep dish one. Also once you get the idea you don't have to be a stickler for amounts. Just cut enough vegs to fill your dish and make sure you have enough parmesan. The fresh thyme is important here too.

Zucchini & Summer Squash Gratin with Parmesan & Fresh Thyme
by Susie Middleton

For this gratin, use all the interesting green and yellow summer squashes (pattypan, scallop, crookneck, butterstick) you find at the farmers' market.

Serves six to eight as a side dish, four as a main dish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the onions:

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 medium onions (14 oz. total), thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced

To assemble the gratin:

1-1/4 lb. ripe red tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
3/4 lb. (about 2 small) zucchini or other green summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices on the bias
3/4 lb. (about 2 small) yellow summer squash or golden zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices on the bias
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. coarse salt
1-1/4 cups freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

To cook the onions: In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until limp and golden brown, about 20 min. Reduce the heat to medium-low if they're browning too quickly. Add the garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, 1 to 2 min. Spread the onions and garlic evenly in the bottom of an oiled 2-qt. shallow gratin dish (preferably oval). Let cool.


To assemble the gratin: Heat the oven to 375°F. Put the tomato slices on a shallow plate to drain for a few minutes and then discard the collected juices. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini and squash slices with 1-1/2 Tbs. of the olive oil, 2 Tbs. of the thyme, and 1/2 tsp. of the salt. Reserve half of the cheese for the top of the gratin. Sprinkle 1 Tbs. of the thyme over the onions in the gratin.


Starting at one end of the baking dish, lay a row of slightly overlapping tomato slices across the width of the dish and sprinkle with a little of the cheese. Next, lay a row of zucchini, overlapping the tomatoes by two-thirds, and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat with a row of squash, and then repeat rows, sprinkling each with cheese, until the gratin is full.
Season lightly with pepper and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Drizzle the remaining 1-1/2 Tbs. olive oil over all. Combine the reserved cheese with the remaining 1 Tbs. thyme and sprinkle this over the whole gratin.


Cook until well-browned all over and the juices have bubbled for a while and reduced considerably, 65 to 70 min.



Let cool for at least 15 min. before serving.
From Fine Cooking 33, pp. 24-29

Sweet and Hot Pineapple Salsa

Pineapples have been on sale in the market quite often lately. I can't resist buying them, I love them so. Wiki tells me they're available all year long because they're grown in temperate climates. So I can't explain why they've been cheap. But I did learn that, like bananas and tomatoes, the pineapple is chill-sensitive, so they should not be stored in the fridge and they will ripen more at room temp. I let my pineapple sit on the counter until I cut it up, but then I cut it into chunks and snack on it all day right from the fridge.

It is also fun to make a pineapple salsa. Pineapple pairs well with savory foods and the heat of a chile pepper plays off that tart flavor and is cooled the cilantro. Whole Foods cracks me up; charging 5.99 lb for a tiny bit of prepared pineapple salsa. Cilantro is 3 bunches for a dollar at my market and I would guess one serrano chile could cost at most a dime. So you're much better off buying a whole pineapple, making your own salsa and having a least a half pineapple left for snacking.

Here we paired the salsa with grilled mahi mahi. I seasoned the mahi with a southwestern spice mix and a squeeze of lime. Dear husband grilled it along with some asparagus and we embellished the plate with the pineapple salsa. Any leftover salsa can be finished off by the cook as she cleans up the dinner dishes. It also can fancy up a salad quite nicely and is great on a taco with spicy pork.

Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple, small dice.
Red bell pepper, small dice
Red onion, small dice
Fresh green chile (most likely serrano or jalapeno) teeny-tiny dice
Cilantro, chopped fine (not optional in my humble opinion)
Lime, squeeze to taste
a dash of salt

Adjust amounts for however much you want to end up with. Chop everything about the same size. Mix all ingredients to taste. Eliminate what you don't like. Serve with fish or spicy pork.

Meaty Matters

Though I don't eat lamb or veal so I'm only able to use half the book, Bruce Aidells' The Complete Meat Cookbook is one of my all time favorites. The book is filled with great information about buying, preparing and cooking meat. His recipes are great and he offers plenty of ideas for leftovers. And the man really knows how to season food. Do you know how sometimes you put a marinade or a rub on a piece of meat but when cooked you can't really taste it very much? That will not happen with Mr. Aidells' recipes. He is not shy about adding bold flavor with recipes calling for loads of garlic and generous use of spice. These recipes are not for the tender-tongued. I love that. Some of my favorites from his book are the Nogales Steak Tacos, the Teriyaki Flank Steak and the Cuban Roast Pork with Mojo Sauce. The latter will leave you with leftover pork to make a divine Cuban Pork Sandwich. The recipe I made today is Priscilla's Marinated Beef and Black Bean Salad. The salad recipe calls for jicama, but unfortunately, I couldn't find it at my corner market, so I used corn instead. I used a 1 1/2 lb piece of top sirloin - enough for 4 dinners easily.

We cook the steak medium rare, slice it thinly and serve it with the bean salad and something green. I recommend grilled pita bread on the side. It is reasonably healthy if you don't eat too much and the next day, it makes great leftovers. Dear husband did an admirable job with the grilled red onions, they were super sweet.


Priscilla's Marinated Beef and Black Bean Salad



Southwestern Spice Rub

1t ground cumin
1t chile powder, preferably Gebhardt's
2t salt, kosher
1t freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 t light or dark brown sugar
1/2t cayenne pepper
2t minced garlic
1t minced shallots or green onions

1 1/2 lbs. boneless top sirloin, flank steak or NY strip (personally, I wouldn't use this good a steak for this preparation)

Black Bean Salad (I halve this, for just the two of us)

3c cooked black beans or 2 cans, beans rinsed and drained
1c jicama, peeled, diced
1 roasted red or yellow pepper, diced
1/2c finely chopped green onions
1/2c coarsely chopped cilantro
1/4 c flat-leaf parsley (no big deal to leave out)
2c diced seeded ripe tomatoes (canned, not recommended)

Vinaigrette (I halve this too)

1T dijon mustard
1/4c fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 c olive oil

Rub half the spice mixture on the steak. Let the steak marinate for at least 2 hours at room temp or cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Combine the rest of the spice rub with the vinaigrette ingredients, whisk

If the steak was refrigerated, remove it from the fridge 30 to 1 hour before cooking. Prepare a grill. Grill the steak over med-hot until done to your liking, 130* for med. rare. Let rest before slicing.

Meanwhile, put the beans, jicama, pepper and green onions into a large skillet and set over med. heat. Stir in the vinaigrette and mix well to coat the beans. Cook until beans are warmed through, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro, parsley and tomatoes.

Spoon the beans onto a plate. Slice the steak diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices and arrange over beans. Garnish with cilantro, if you like.

Kick A** Couscous

Although I love grilled vegetables, in the past I've hardly been able to tolerate grilled zucchini. By the time it is browned, it is usually overcooked, limp and flavorless. It never seems to add any positive taste or texture to the melange of grilled veggies. But when I prepared this side dish, where the zucchini is quartered, de-seeded, salted and spiced with an interesting mix (cumin, brown sugar, cinnamon(!)), I found a grilled zucchini that really makes me happy. The zucchini are cooked over high heat so they finish fast and don't get a chance to get limp and lifeless. And the spices really make it savory and exotic. Even if you don't prepare the couscous or want spices on your zucchini, I also recommend cooking plain zucchini this way. It is the best way I've found.

I found this method while preparing Warm Couscous with Grilled Zucchini Salad from Fine Cooking 65. To prepare this couscous, you add your deliciously grilled, spiced zukes and some grilled red onion to a plain couscous and finish it with the fresh flavors of cilantro and orange. This makes a bright, flavorful couscous where all the ingredients stand up tall. The spices on the zucchini infuse the plain couscous with flavor too. I love it and think it would compliment just about any grilled meat/poultry/fish. Here we did it with salmon.



Warm Couscous & Grilled Zucchini Salad /Fine Cooking #65.

Serves 4 as a side dish

3 small or 2 med. zucchini (about 1lb)
Kosher salt
2 t ground cumin
2 t packed light brown sugar
1/8 t cinnamon
Pinch cayenne
Ground pepper
1 large red onion, sliced into 1/3 inch disks and each slice threaded on two thin skewers
¼ c olive oil
7 ½ oz regular unflavored couscous (1 ¼ c) I used Near East brand
¼ c chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. finely grated orange zest
2 T fresh orange juice, or more to taste

Trim ends and slice the zucchini in quarters, lengthwise. Slice off the top ¼ to ½ inch of the soft seed core by running a sharp knife down the length of each quarter. Arrange the zucchini, cut side up, on baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with kosher salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Blot the quarters dry with a paper towel.

Heat the grill. In a small bowl, mix together cumin, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and ¼ t. pepper. In a med. bowl, gently toss the blotted zucchini quarters with 1 T olive oil and spices mix.. Let sit for 10 min. Lay the onion on a try, brush both sides with 1 T oil and sprinkle with a little salt.

Meanwhile, bring 1 ½ c. water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in couscous, 2 T olive oil, and ¾ t salt. Cover, remove from heat, set aside.

Grill the zucchini on a hot fire, cut side down, flipping occasionally, until it browns and softens but doesn’t turn mushy, 6-8 minutes. Return the zucchini to its original bowl and toss to pick up any extra spices. Grill the onions over a med. heat (not directly over the hottest part of the fire) until soft and slightly charred, 8-10 minutes. Coarsely chop the zucchini and onion and stir them into the couscous, along with the cilantro, orange zest and juice. Taste for salt and pepper, add a little more OJ to taste. Serve immediately

Asparagus, one way

Asparagus is one of our favorite vegetables and it's always a good time when it's in season. One delicious way to make them is a la Ina Garten in Barefoot Contessa Cooks Family Style. They're roasted and then sprinkled with parmaggiano to make them special. Served en masse on a big platter, they would be fantastic on a buffet.

Corn Pudding

This is a great recipe for Corn Pudding from Alton Brown. Since Easter is near I thought I'd post it here since it would sure go good with ham. This dish turns out best in a cast iron pan. But I needed to carry this pudding up a substantial flight of stairs so I made it in a baking dish.

Sweet Corn Bread Pudding
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

1/2 onion, diced fine
1 ounce unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 (15-ounce) can creamed style sweet corn
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, whole grain, stone ground
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Ground black pepper
2 cups cubed French bread

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sweat onions with butter and herbs in an oven safe skillet until translucent.
Combine corn, cream, eggs, baking powder, cornmeal, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add cubed bread and fold to combine. Pour batter into skillet, right on top of the onion mixture. Bake 50 minutes, or until set. Cool slightly before serving.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Making buttermilk biscuits for my son, Sam, is a simple pleasure. It makes me happy that I can sort of spoil him by giving him homemade biscuits. Once you start having them from scratch, you just can't go back to the vacuum tube. I hope when he gets older he'll remember sitting in our yellow kitchen eating warm homemade biscuits.

Buttermilk Biscuits from Joy of Cooking

Position rack in center of oven, Preheat oven to 450*. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, mix together:
2c flour
2t. baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Cut 5-6 T unsalter butter into flour until largest pieces are the size of peas

Add all at once:
3/4 c buttermilk

Mix with wooden spoon until dry ingredients are moist. With a floured hand, gather the dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead just a bit on flour board and pat dough down gently to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and place on baking sheet. Brush Biscuits with milk. Bake until golden brown on top and bottom, 10-12 minutes.

Macaroni and Cheese, please

My favorite recipe for Mac and cheese comes from Joy of Cooking. There is nothing fancy about it. The cheese is just sharp cheddar, no gorgonzola, chevre or parmagianno here. It is just a basic bechamel to which cheese is added, (which would make it not a bechamel but some other french term that is not coming to my brain at the moment.) Partially cooked macaroni in added and then the whole concoction is baked with buttered breadcrumbs on top. Good stuff.

Skin Deep

My love affair with plantains started at Frontera Grill. I had them just as they are here, sauteed in a little butter until brown on both sides, dolloped with crema and sprinkled with queso fresco. Think of the dish almost as potatoes browned in butter served with sour cream. But there is a gentle sweet banana flavor. They're so good. I can't go to Frontera without ordering them as a side dish. It is hard to fine plantains that are as ripe as you need them to be. So buy some yellowish ones with just the beginnings of black and let them sit on your counter until they are completely pitch black - then they are ready for some loving.

You might notice, I'm a little more generous with the crema and queso fresco than they are at Frontera.

Butter-Fried Plantains with Thick Cream: adapted from Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican

Mexican Crema or sour cream thinned with heavy cream
Queso fresco- mexican fresh cheese, like farmer's cheese. crumbled.
3 med, very ripe plantains, you need really black ripe plantains for this recipe
unsalted butter

Peel the plantains and slice on the diagonal into 1/4 inch thick ovals.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Arrange the plantains in a single layer in the pan. Fry until deep golden brown, 3-5 minutes per side. If necessary, do in two batches, keeping the first batch warm in a low oven. Transfer to warm serving plate.

Garnish with cream and crumbled cheese, serve.

The Skinny

Last week, Jewel had a coupon for a free 5lb. bag of russet potatoes, so I brought home a big bag of potatoes. Now, we're not much of a potato-eating family, preferring our starch in the form of rice or bread. I predicted these potatoes would sit until little potato bonsai trees started to grow, and then I would throw them away.

Sure, I could make them into something, a gratin, maybe some hash browns or Giada's (truly evil) cheesy potato dish, but nobody except me would eat any of it. And even I don't eat much potatoes. Well, maybe mashed, but only if there is good gravy. Ever since reading the South Beach Diet, potatoes have become the equivalent of cheesecake in my brain. I can't fool myself into thinking they're the least bit healthy.

So the potatoes sat until this weekend, when a potato dish that we could all get excited about popped into my head: Potato Skins. This sort of potato treatment removes most the mealy potato (the part my family opposes) and replaces it with good things like crispiness, cheese, and bacon. I figure, if you're going to shake hands with the Devil, he may as well be dipped in sour cream. These skins were way too good. The only way I'll make them again any time soon is if the Bears are in the Super Bowl.



I still have half a bag of potatoes left. I'm thinking soup...

Tomato candy

Slow roasted, a grape tomato becomes a wonderful thing. My technique is to halve them, place them cut-side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and drizzle them with olive oil and kosher salt. Then I slow roast them in a 250 oven for 2-3 hours, until they look all shrively, like this.

Let them cool and then eat them on a salad, in a pasta or just out-of-hand, like me. They turn as sweet as candy and they're delicious. If I make them for a recipe, I need to careful about snacking on them because it is so easy to eat them all. By the way, cooked tomatoes are better for you than raw. So when those summer tomatoes come in, try my method.

A favorite...

You just can't beat this simple recipe for Acorn Squash from FC issue No. 49. These made Steve and I squash lovers. All you do is split the acorn squash in half, rub with butter, add brown sugar or maple syrup and roast for about an hour in a 400 degree oven (or until tender to the fork). Use foil underneath for easy clean up. Delicious.